Take Me Out To The Ballgame...

Going to baeball games can be great fun. The sun, the smell of hot dogs, the gambling, getting a souvenir and obviously seeing your favorite team take the field. What can make the day even more special is seeing the game played in unique venue. Some stadiums have more character than others, better fans or better sight lines. Whatever that unique characteristic is, going to a game in that stadium is just a better day out - even if the home team doesn't play there. Here are my top baseball stadiums to see a game in...

1. Fenway Park
The oldest stadium in MLB and perhaps the location that is most revered among fans. Famous for the Green Monster that dominates left field, Pesky Pole in right, the manual scoreboard and the odd garage and triangle in centre. In the past couple of seasons the Red Sox ownership have taken advantage of the success of the team and the demand for tickets and have added seats in some odd places at Fenway. The top of the Green Monster now holds some of the most sought after seats and the seats on top of the Budweiser sign are gaining traction. Whoever the BoSox are playing it is guaranteed to be a sell out, so plan early and make certain you see this Park.

2. Wrigley Field
"The Friendly Confines" isn't far behind Fenway in terms of age, it's reverence and some odd seats. Located in the middle of a residential area it has some of the most die-hard fans, who have even taken to naming their children after the Field. With the ivy covered brick wall in the outfield, the crazy bleacher bums and the ability to watch games from the roof tops of neighbouring buildings, going to Wrigley is a fun day out - just make sure it is a day game and that Ozzy Osbourne isn't signing "take me out to the ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch.

3. AT&T Park
For those of you who can't keep up with stadium naming rights - AT&T Park was SBC Park and before that Pac Bell Park. Ring a bell now? (no pun intended)The home of the San Francisco Giants is located in the waterfront and gives you an extraordinary view of the golden gate bridge and the appropriately named McCovey Cove beyond the right field wall. Between the giant Coke bottle, over sized mitt and being able to hit home runs into the water and seeing kayakers go after them like they rare gems, this Park has something for all fans. Even though it was built in 2000, they have taken cues from the older stadiums like Fenway and Wrigley and have a manual scoreboard to compliment the HD scoreboard. Although you won't get to see any more Barry Bonds home runs into McCovey Cove you can still see some great action at AT&T Park

4. Camden Yards
The first of the new-old stadiums that were built in the 1990's and 2000's, Oriole Park at Camden Yards first opened its gates to fans in 1992. Opened in the Baltimore harbour area it launched a new wave of building around the stadium that made going to the ballpark fun again. The shops, restaurants and bars made the game an experience instead of a chore. Like the ballparks named above Camden also has some special traits that endears it to fans. The B&O Warehouse building stands behind left field and was incorporated into the design instead of being torn down. Although many players have tried, only one has it on the fly since it opened - Griffey Jr. during the 1993 All-Star game Home Run Derby. Another unique feature of the Stadium is the two-tiered bullpen. The first of its kind in the major leagues is very cool to see in action, even though it holds bad memories for some Jays fans (think '93 All-Star game, Mussina warming up and not getting into the game). A fun evening and a great seat can be had at Camden Yards.

5. Miller Park
The home of the Milwaukee Brewers since 2001, Miller Park is always going to provide fans with a great day/night to watch a ballgame. The innovative retractable roof that was built in a convertible style like a fan, can open and close in 10 minutes. What is even better about this stadium is the open style windows in the outfield that let in natural light and allow grass to be grown instead of using artificial turf. This makes playing and watching a game so much better. Again, like the other stadiums on the list, Miller Park does not shy away from having attractions in and around the stadium. Unlike some of the others, Miller Park concentrates more of theirs in-stadium and in-game. With some of the best food choices in the concession area, and obviously fresh beer it helps keeping fans happy. Other activities to look out for is the sausage race in the middle of the 6th inning and mascot Bernie Brewer goes down a slide into a mug of beer. Luckiest mascot ever!

Quest for the G

Like anyone needs to watch more TV, but couldn't resist. These new G (Gatorade) commercials are pretty damn entertaining.

Quest for the G

Look for the guest appearances - if you aren't sure who they all are let me help you out a little - Kevin Garnett, Derek Jeter, Jimmie Johnson, Alicia Sacramone, Usain Bolt and the JabbaWockeez.

What to Look Forward To

Lots happening in the world of sports over the past couple days and should be a busy weekend, so here are a couple of musing for you...

1 - Tiger Woods: He is really good, but it is hard to come back after 8 months and expect to be in top form. Woods lost in the second round of the Match Play Championship which is going on this weekend in Arizona. In fact this tournament has gone nowhere close to form and there is a good chance the winner will not be a household name. As for Tiger, he will round into form and dominate the events he enters.

2 - Manny Ramirez: We get it, Scott Boras needs some extra dough and you don't want to participate in Spring Training. Would you please just accept the contract the Dodgers are offering you because no other team has even made you an offer.

3 - Carling Cup: Now most of you won't care about one of the lesser trophies on the soccer schedule, but this could be the start of the quad for Manchester United or it could salvage an otherwise horrendous season for the Spurs. My prediction - 2-1 United (as much as it pains me to say that).

4 - NASCAR: The good ol' boys are in Vegas this weekend to go round in circles. Matt Kenseth will try for his 3rd straight win to open the racing season. Too many proud men on the circuit to allow him to do that. My prediction - Scott Speed comes out of nowhere to win the race. For those of you who are not familiar, Speed was in F1 last season and has been hampered by poor performing race cars.

5 - Baseball: The Toronto Blue Jays continue their spring training games versus Detroit, Atlanta and Florida. Although it doesn't really matter the record when the team comes North, it would be nice to see the offense produce runs (6 runs vs. Phily yesterday is a good start) and have the decision made on 4th and 5th starters as soon as possible (Scott Richmond had 2 shutout innings yesterday vs. Phily).

6 - NFL: Free Agent season opened with a bang this morning as the Washington Redskins signed DeAngelo Hall AND Albert Haynesworth to huge deals. No one should be surprised owner Dan Snyder opened his wallet, but it will be interesting to see where some other top FA land and if they can generate the same type of money. The headlines will be dominated by Ray Lewis, Kurt Warner, Rex Grossman and TJ Who's Your Momma.

7 - Twitter: Thanks to those who have joined me on twitter this week. For those who haven't signed up yet, it is an amusing pastime. Reading about Shaq is worth signing up alone...

FIFA Doesn't Want You To Leave Home

FIFA Player Quota Plan

A story has come out of Brussels that FIFA, has a plan to implement a quota limiting the number of foreign players that could play at any one time. The plan that is on the table would force teams to play 6 players who could take the field for the national team. That would let 5 foreign players take the pitch. What the rule doesn't do is limit the number of foreign players you could have on the team.

Not sure what FIFA is trying to accomplish with this new rule. The best players in the world want to play at the biggest clubs and in the best leagues. Some countries don't have strong domestic leagues and therefore those players travel to play in England, Italy or Spain, where the competition is better. The only positive that could come out of this rule would be that domestic leagues would have more parity as the larger clubs wouldn't be able to field teams of 11 international superstars.

There is opposition to this proposal and it will be interesting to follow this and see if Sepp Blatter can get this passed FIFA and then the European Union.

It's All About the Hair

Well at least a Raptor is tops in one category!

It's All About the Hair

Wells Wheel Falls Off

The first pitch hasn't even been thrown out and the Toronto Blue Jays have suffered a set-back. Considered a long shot to be a contender in the ultra competitive American League East, the Jays needed all their weapons to be healthy and ready to go in April. Now, one of their key offensive players is out for a month and will no doubt carry around a nagging injury all season. It was during the teams 3rd full workout, Vernon Wells stopped participating and manager Cito Gaston decided to come over to check on his All-Star centerfielder. What he found out couldn't have made him happy. Wells suffered a strained hamstring which will sideline him for 4 weeks. It should have him back for opening day versus the Detroit Tigers, but after not having a spring to prepare for the season, it could be mid-May before we see the Wells we know.

How does this affect the Jays? Well, it will give some of the younger players some extra at-bats and the opportunity to get playing time in positions they might not have otherwise had. The winner in all of this will Adam Lind, who will now get ample opportunity to win the 4th outfield position, behing Wells, Rios and Travis Snider. Also, seeing time in the outfield with Vernon Wells on the bench will be Jose Bautista and Joe Inglett. Normally, these two would be fighting for the remaining spots in the infield, but they will help their chances of not only making the team, but seeing the field when the Jays leave Dunedin if they can produce while filling in for Wells.

The rest of the Jays roster will try and stay healthy until they see their first live action on Wednesday vs. the Yankees.

Stay tuned for a full Jays preview and MLB predictions in the next couple of weeks.

Names to Know - Donald Brown

After watching the NFL Scouting Combine on the NFL Network this weekend, I felt it would be good to prepare everyone for the draft in April when you hear a name and say, hey I know that guy...This "Name to Know" is Connecticut running back Donald Brown. The 5'10", 210lbs. Junior from New Jersey had an impressive 2008 campaign for the Huskies. He finished the season with 2083 yards rushing, which led the nation and 18 touchdowns. Impressive numbers, no matter what the conference his competition came from. The 2000+ season gave him over 4000 yards for his UCONN career. This had scouts giving him long looks during his bowl game appearance, which just happened to be in Toronto at the International Bowl, and he didn't disappoint. With a 261 yard rushing day and MVP game honours the International Bowl game set up him nicely for off season workouts that culminated with a great performance at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Although, we don't have his Wunderlic scores yet, his physical tests came back positive! Donald Brown came through with shining colours;

• 4.51 in the 40 yard dash (5th fastest time)
• 41.5" vertical jump (1st)
• 4.1o seconds in the 20 yard shuttle (2nd)
• 11.30 seconds in the 60 yard shuttle (1st)
• 10.05 feet in the broad jump (2nd)
• 6.93 seconds in the 3-Cone drill (8th)

So what can you expect from Brown when you see him play on Sunday's in September? He is a compact back, has great feet and a low centre of gravity, similar to Jacksonville Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew. Brown is a touchdown machine which will give him some good playing time and fantasy value for whichever team drafts him in the first round.

Some scouts have concerns over his size, being of smaller stature they may not seem him as a durable player or he might get labelled as a 3rd down back. They have also expressed a concern over his breakaway speed, but he has tried to put that to rest with long TD runs in the International Bowl and showing his speed in the 40yd dash beating fellow probable first round draftees Beanie Wells from Ohio State and Knowshon Moreno from Georgia. His only other knock is something he can do nothing about. Scouts are concerned that other UCONN prospects have failed at the NFL level. They believe the system that he played in contributed to his success. The offense at UCONN probably had something to do with his enormous rushing total, but no less so then some of the quarterbacks that are also in the draft. No matter what the offense, a running back still has to run hard, fight for the extra yard and have the vision to run to daylight. Brown's great feet and vision will take him far.

After all is said and done, Donald Brown is ranked as the number 19 prospect in the NFL Draft. He might not get drafted in the 19th spot by Bucs (but - not a bad choice for them), but expect him to be the third running back drafted behind Wells and Moreno. Brown's 2008 season compares almost exactly to the 2007 season of the 5th running back selected in last years draft. He was the 44th player taken in the draft, and has solidified the backfield of the Chicago Bears - Matt Forte who played his college football at Tulane University. If Brown turns in the same numbers as Forte in his first NFL season, scouts may not look at the school a player attended to predict his future - unless you are a basketball player at Duke, but that's another article.

Site Update

Hey Everybody,

Just wanted to let you know that I have moved some of the Blogger gadgets around to hopefully make the site more user friendly and have added a new feature - Twitter! You probably have heard about Twitter on the news recently because of the celebrities using "tweets" to update fans on what they are doing and thinking at the moment in 140 characters or less. I'm gonna try to update it fairly regularly so sign up and join in on the fun.

Also, hopefully this week I will unveil a custom made banner for the site, which should give it some needed pizzazz.

Thanks,

BLT

Oscar

As the entertainment portion of this has been lacking somewhat I thought I would summarize my picks for the 81st Annual Academy Awards that are happening Sunday night in LA.

I always have the intention to see all the nominated films, but usually just end up seeing one or two. I wait for them to be on TV four years later and think to myself, "see - I didn't miss that much, someone told me DiCaprio dies at the end Titanic".

Actor in a Leading Role
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
and the winner is...Sean Penn. I haven't seen Milk, but when you play gay the Oscars love you.

Actor in a Supporting Role
Heath Ledger - The Dark Night
Heath Ledger - The Dark Night
Heath Ledger - The Dark Night
Heath Ledger - The Dark Night
Heath Ledger - The Dark Night
and the winner is...Heath Ledger - The Dark Night. The Oscars love giving awards to dead people, and it will be the most touching scene to have his daughter get the award.

Actress in a Leading Role
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - The Reader
and the winner is...Kate Winslet - The Reader. She gets naked. Done!

Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams - Doubt

Viola Davis - Doubt (fixed)
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Taraji Henson - Benjamin Button
Marissa Tomei - The Wrestler
and the winner is...Marissa Tomei - The Wrestler. Really, Marissa Tomei has two Oscars, really?

Animated Feature Film
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E
and the winner is...Kung Fu Panda. Any movie that can incorporate Carl Douglas's Kung Fu Fighting should win an Oscar hands down.

Foreign Language Film
The Baader Meinhof Complex
The Class
Departure
Revanche
Waltz with Bashir
and the winner is...sorry I was unable to judge this category as I didn't understand what you said, it was in a different language.

Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
and the winner is...The Reader. Kate Winslett, she gets naked. Done! I kid. I actually saw two of these movies, Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire. Of those two I choose Slumdog Millionaire. Both told the stories in parts. Flashing back through time to explain situations, and advance the story.

Benjamin Button had entertaining sections, but for the most of his life (being old and being young) nothing too exciting could happen to him. He was confined to the house and it limited where the story could go. My other issue for this film is - where was the medical community? You're telling me he never saw the doctor for his condition? No one studied him? Also, this movie is set in a time where people weren't that accepting of differences - whether it was skin colour, race, etc.., so what's makes us think that Button wouldn't have been put straight into a home, hospital or asylum.

As for Slumdog, it was a smart, well told story. The drama moved forward quickly and you cared about the characters and wanted to see them succeed. What most people see in this story is that fate can intervene in life and good things can happen no matter your situation. This is the feel good story of the Oscar year and will cap off a long night of back slapping and thank yous to people that they don't like.

Enjoy!

Ultimate XI

A little soccer news never hurt anyone. Here is something from the newest addition to the Toronto FC - Dwayne De Rosario. He talks with the NY Times and picks his dream starting line-up or Ultimate XI as they have dubbed it.

Now I understand you have to be somewhat humble when filling out a request like this, but don't you think about putting yourself in the line-up? With 10 other players like this and me in the squad, I think I could succeed or at least hide.

De Rosario's Ultimate XI

Names to Know - Blake Griffin

Names to Know will examine upcoming or rising stars. You'll be hearing these names in the news in the next couple of months and I am here to give you a head start.

The first in the series of "Names to Know" is Oklahoma Sooners college basketball player Blake Griffin. He might have already appeared on the radar of some of those who watch college basketball before March Madness, but for the most part he came into this season as an unknown and will leave in April as the poster boy for NCAA basketball (think EA College Basketball '10 cover boy) and the potential number one pick in the NBA draft.

Griffin or "Blake the Great" as Wikipedia has dubbed him, is a 6'10" 251lbs. Sophomore Power Forward for the Sooners. He has a older brother on the team, Senior Taylor Griffin. If you are not close you might mistake the two, Blake wears jersey 23, while older bro wears 32.

After a high school career where he was named a McDonald's All-American and won the McDonald's All-American Dunk Contest, he chose to attend Oklahoma. In his Freshman year Griffin was able to contribute immediately to the Sooner program. He was named to the Big 12 Conference 1st Team and also the All-Rookie First Team. To put that in perspective, the last Sooner to make "All-Rookie" was Wayman Tisdale in 1983. That is a long time between standout freshman for suffering Sooner fans.

His rise to prominence this year should be no surprise. He is competitive by nature and has a winning attitude. He has won at every level and has had Oklahoma near the top of the weekly rankings all year. An athletic big man who controls, no dominates the glass. Griffin is able to score at will which was demonstrated by his Valentine's Day massacre of Texas Tech, where he scored 40 points and had 23 rebounds. He is only the 3rd player in Oklahoma history to accomplish this feat, joining the afore mentioned Tisdale and Alvin Adams being the others. He not only has the ability to score in bunches, but he is consistent like no other. To date, he has 22 double doubles (points and rebounds) on the season. This is a remarkable accomplishment and bodes well for his NBA career.

Griffin still has room for improvement, his free throws (which every college kid struggles with) and taking cheap fouls, as we have seen him get into some foul trouble during the season. These are things that he can work out over the remaining games of the season and during an offseason where he will end up probably being the number 1 pick and having the dreams of a city riding on his wide shoulder.

Should he decide to come out early (which seems inevitable) , some draftniks have compared him to Charles Barkley (minus the picking up prostitutes hopefully) and Carlos Boozer (minus reneging on a contract that a blind man offers you hopefully). Boozer has averaged 17 points and 10 rebounds during his 7 career. That is a very successful 30 minutes a game and has netted Boozer a max contract and will get him another one at the end of this season.

So when you hear that Oklahoma is one of the final four teams, and is led by Sophomore Blake Griffin, you can turn to your colleague at the water cooler and say "I knew he was good when he won that McDonald's All-American dunk contest" or "When he put up 40/23 on Texas Tech, it cemented him as a number one pick". You're welcome.


With files from;
Draft Express-Blake Griffin
NBADraft.net-Blake Griffin and
Wikipedia-Blake Griffin

All in the Family

Since it is Family Day in Ontario, I thought I would take the opportunity to speak on the top 5 Families in Sport. Whether they are brothers or sisters, father and son, these family trees have some unbelievable roots.

Top 5 all-time families in sport...

Tie 5. Brent and Wayne Gretzky or Tommie and Hank Aaron or Hugo and Diego Maradona
All these families have one thing in common - one brother just slightly outshined the other. In fact many of you probably haven't even heard on of 3 of the 6 names listed above. Wayne and Brent Gretzky are the leading NHL point scorering brothers with 2861 points - Brent has 4 of them. Tommie and Hank Aaron are the leading MLB home run hitting brothers with 768, Tommie had 13 of them. Diego Maradona captivated the world with his soccer skills and shared the FIFA Player of the Century award with Pele, while his brother Hugo bounced from club to club, even playing for Toronto Italia in 1998.

4. Archie Manning, Eli and Peyton Manning
The list of accomplisments for this first family of football could fill a couple of blogs. The two brothers Eli and Peyton have recently outshined the feats of their father who played in the NFL from 1971 to 1984, most famously with the New Orleans Saints. Eli and Peyton have recently combined for two Super Bowl trophies, one regular season and a Super Bowl MVP and they became the first brother combination to play in the NFL pro bowl.

3. Venus and Serena Williams
These two tennis phenoms took the WTP by storm. Venus going pro in 1994 and Serena following in 1995. Together they have won a combined 17 Grand Slam singles titles, Olympic gold medals, have both been ranked number 1 in the world. The only thing holding them back from being higher on the list is their crazy father.

2. Reggie, Darrell and Cheryl Miller
This famous brother and sister combination of Reggie and Cheryl Miller would kill in a game of two on two on any court. Cheryl is arguably one of the best women's players of all time. Inducted into the basketball HOF, and Women's HOF, she won a gold medal in LA at the 1984. What cemented her legacy was her time at USC. A 3 time Player of the Year, she won 2 NCAA titles, and won the tournament MVP both times. After graduating, she had several offers to go pro but an injured knee got in the way of a professional playing career. Instead she coached at USC and then coached 4 years in WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury. She is now a broadcaster with TNT. All that and she scored 100 pts in game!

Not to be outdone was her brother Reggie. Reggie went to UCLA and took the team to NIT championship and finished 2nd all time in UCLA scoring behind Kareem-Abdul Jabbar. Reggie then went pro and spent his entire career with the Indiana Pacers. A 5 time all star, he finished as the all time NBA leader in 3pters. Reggie also made a splash on the international scene, winning a gold medal and a world championship. Reggie never had a 100 pt. game, but has matched his sister by working with TNT.

The little known third sibling is Darrell Miller who played witht he California Angels from 1984-88. He played in 224 career major league games, batting .241 with 13 doubles, 8 home runs, and 35 runs batted in, in 394 at-bats.

1. Suter Family -Brian, Darryl, Duane, Brent, Rich and Ron
All the Suter family managed to have good to great careers playing hockey, and four of them went on to become coaches or general managers. There must have been something in the water in Winnipeg for this to happen or does it just get to the point where as they are moving up the ranks in hockey that scouts and teams can't ignore them and progress them to the next level? Either way that is one successful family!

Honourable Mention:
The Hull's - Bobby, Dennis and Brett Hull
Doug and Darren Flutie
The Dimaggio's - Joe, Dom, and Vince
Joe and Phil Niekro
Maurice and Henri Richard
Alou brothers (Matty and Jesus) Alou and son Felipe
Marcus and Damon Allen
Gait Brothers - Lacrosse
Gary & Phil Neville

Who would you choose as the best family to ever play?

Snack of the Day

With the NBA All-Star game and the Daytona 500 this weekend, not to mention Valentine's day and the holiday Monday, I could see a lot of couch time in the future of some of you. You will definately need to keep your fluids up and keep some good snacks on hand.

For Fluids - seeing as the you will see an endless amount of advertising for Gatorade this weekend, why not keep some handy. Go with the G2 Orange, since it isn't banned by the NCAA.


As for food, since it is Valentine's Day weekend, having a bowl of cinnamon hearts on the coffee table never hurt anyone.

Trade Season has Started

Bryan Colangelo has finally made the move that has been rumored for the past month. With the NBA trade deadline fast approaching, according to ESPN.com he has pulled the trigger on the trade with Miami Heat.

To the Heat - Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon

To the Raptors - Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks

This trade does one thing for the Raptors, opens up cap room. Jermaine's big contract comes off the books and we get a player in Marion that will also come off the books. Colangelo is familiar with Marion from his days in Phoenix and was the one that gave him the big contract to begin with.

According to the ESPN trade machine this is a bad trade for the Raptors. The projected wins go down 5, while the Heat increase their projected win total by 6.

What the Raptors do get is a solid back-up PG in Marcus Banks to play behind Calderon. Although his season stats don't reflect his potential. He has started 37 games in his career and averages about 10-15 minutes and 6 points a game. Doesn't sound phenomenal, but better than our current options. Getting Marion is another ball of wax. He is athletic swingman, that has a good chance to produce in the Toronto offense. I think the Toronto fans will like him and his ability to get to the basket. We just have to hope that he shows the brilliance that made him rich in Phoenix, instead of his recent performances in Miami. We also wonder what number he will wear since Andrea is currently sporting his familiar number 7, my guess is he goes back to 31 he wore with the Suns.

The only other thing, I'll mention in this post is that with all the trades being offered out of Miami the names Marion and Banks were included, but so was Michael Beasley, the 2008 2nd overall pick of the draft. If the Raptors had any chance to have him included in the trade and didn't, it will be a big mistake. He is coming into his own and will be a solid, if not spectacular NBA player.

364 days and counting...

Well, we are one year to the day of the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. Prepare to be bombarded by advertisements from the games sponsors like RBC, Petro-Canada and McDonalds - too late, my ears are already burning from that damn RBC song and I've sliced my hand on one of the cheap Petro Canada glassware. That is gonna leave a mark!

More important than souvenirs or booking your hotel room is how the athlete's will actually perform come February 2010. In the 2008 games held in Turin, Canada finished a respectable 5th with 24 medals. 7 gold, 10 silver and 7 bronze. For 2010 the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) has set a couple of goals for the athletes - they want to win the medal standings and want to do this with 30 total medals, the Germans led in 2008 with 29 total medals. With all the resources and funding that has been put towards the games, this does not seem out of the realm of possibilities. The Canadian athletes are training on any finished venue in Vancouver/Whistler and we are having a super world cup season this year. Winning downhill skiing races on both the men's and women's side, dominating long track speed skating and winning races in the bobsled. Unfortunately, some of the Canadian athletes we will be looking to win medals in 2010 don't quite feel the same about the COC's plan.

Alpine skier Erik Guay of Mont-Tremblant, Que., says the COC's goal is unfair. "The guys who set those objectives, it's pretty easy to sit behind a desk and say we are going to win all these medals, we're going to be the best winter country out there, just kick everybody's ass," he said. "It's not that easy. "I think that was a mistake. When you are saying things like that it is added pressure to athletes."

WTF??!!?? Why are you even racing if you are thinking like that. Do you not stand at the top of the hill before every race and say to yourself - I am going to win! If you don't, you are cheating yourself, your parents, your sponsors and the taxpayers who are helping you train each day instead of working at the Rona.

Skeleton racer Jon Montgomery of Russell, Man., has similar concerns. "It might be reaching a little bit and perhaps putting a little undue pressure on some athletes that aren't necessarily medal potential," he explained. "It's an ambitious goal to undertake.

WTF??!!?? Aren't medal potential? You cannot qualify for the Olympics if you don't meet specific guidelines. These guidelines are in place to ensure every athlete has a chance at the medals. I know skeleton racers are probably a little bit crazy, but this is really nuts.

The COC has finally come around and move their message from "participate and do your best", which is the message if you are 6 years old, to "produce medals", which is the message you give adults who have been competing at a high level for many years.

One more asinine statement - this one from a 6 time medalist.

"When we go to compete, I don't think we should be focused on the medals because that could put too much pressure on us," Cindy Klassen said.

Don't professional athletes thrive on pressure? Ask any NBA if they want the ball in their hands as the game and shot clock is running out. Ask any NFL QB if they want the ball with two minutes left down by 4pts. They will all answer yes. For Klassen to say this is irresponsible and untrue.

Finally we have a athlete that likes what the COC is doing - and to no surprise she is a medalist in both summer and winter Olympics;

"I think we have to believe that," said alpine skier Emily Brydon of Fernie, B.C. "You have to put the intention out there and you have to really believe that you can do it in order for it to happen. You have to almost have that ego."

Maybe Emily Brydon should take some of these other athletes under her wing...

Stuff From Everywhere...

Couple of quick tidbits and my thoughts on a Tuesday...

1. The NBA All-Star HORSE competition has named its participants - Joe Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks, Kevin Durant of the Seattle Sonics and OJ Mayo of the Vancouver Grizzlies. This is a good young group of players and it will be exciting to see what they come up with.

2. Chris Brown is screwed. If you haven't heard he beat his girlfriend Rihanna just before the Grammy's this past weekend and if the allegations are true it could be the end of a promising career before it got enough the ground.

During the Glow in the Dark Tour this summer, Chris Brown came out on stage and danced with N*E*R*D and then again with Rihanna. He got the most screams from the 14 year old girls in the crowd - it was unbelievable. Guess they will be redecorating the walls with Jonas Brothers posters.

3. More A-Rod. After everything that happened he has come out pretty unscathed. The media has been all over him, but not that nasty. I guess admitting you made a mistake is the best way of making amends.

4. Baseball Prospectus picks the Jays to finish 81-81. How???

We have a Winner...

Bar Refaeli was unveiled as the cover model for this year's SI swimsuit issue.

For those interested more photos, videos, etc... at SI Swimsuit Edition Homepage

A-Roid

Alex Rodriguez took steroids.

SI.com broke the story that in 2003, 104 players tested positive for steroids. The reason it has taken this long for the results to be released is that they were never supposed to come out. These tests were taken to get an idea of how many players were using performance enhancing drugs (PED) and if there were enough players using, than baseball would implement steroid testing the following year, which they did.

None of the other 103 players have been named, and if SI.com was able to get one name - presumably the biggest, I'm sure they have the others. So why haven't the others been released? Because fans of baseball have come to the realization that the star players for a period of 10 years were on PED's. We've accepted it, we've moved on.

Do I care if A-Rod was on steroids in 2003 - not really. At this point in baseball history, we are all assuming that Sosa, McGwire, Bonds, or Giambi and the list goes on...they were all juiced up. A-Rod was the best of the cheaters. His stats were the best of the era, whether or not he was on the sauce. Does this mean he would still be the best player if no one was on 'roids, maybe, maybe not, but we'll never know.

How does this effect his and other users place in the history of the game? For those who choose the players to be enshrined into Cooperstown, I believe that he is royally screwed. They will hold this over him, like they will for McGwire and Bonds and he will have to pay admission anytime he wants to see inside the Hall. The risk that these writers run is that for the next 5 to 10 years the Hall of Fame ballot will be really thin with players, because most of the top players can be linked to illegal substances. I can understand their objections for admitting players who used PED's who have been caught using since 2004 when they became illegal, but is it right for them to pass judgement on players who used when there were no rules, that just doesn't seem right.

Fans around the league will have fun at Rodriguez's expense this year. The Yankees always draw the most fans when they arrive in visiting cities, so between the Madonna fling and now the A-Roid story, some of the signs that we'll see in the crowd might not be PG and we'll definately rival those at WWF (I refuse to call it WWE) shows.

So get your tickets now for May 12-14th.

You have H-O

All-Star games are usually boring, and the days leading up to it can be just as bad (except if you are going to the parties). The skills competitions, rookie challenges, even the dunk contest at the NBA all-star game has gotten stale.

For the past few years, media heavyweights Bill Simmons and Tony Kornheiser have been pushing the NBA to add the school yard game HORSE to the fan night festivities. Well, they have finally stepped-up and done it. With the help of TNT and GEICO, players will compete in a game of HORSE, but instead of spelling out horse, they will spell out GEICO. The rules will be simple, 24 seconds to make a shot, no dunking and a ref is on hand to verify and authenticate the shot. I don't think I am going out on a limb here saying it will be the most watched part of the NBA all-star weekend in Phoenix.

The players who will participate in GEICO haven't been named yet, but if the Sandwich Shoppe could hand pick the contestants I would go with the following three, in no particular order;

1. Kevin Love - Minnesota Timberwolves
Love is known for hitting full court shots during warm-up and I don't think there is any other NBA player that could keep up with his consistency. He is also a good shooter and is athletic enough to keep up with the smaller players acrobatic routines.
Kevin Love Full Court Shot


2. Morris Peterson - New Orleans Hornets
MoPete gets in the competition simply because of this shot during a game a couple of years ago;
Peterson Trick Shot

He is also a good shooter and after playing with Vince Carter and now Chris Paul he will have a good background of trick shots piled up.

3. Chris Anderson - Denver Nuggets
"The Birdman" is a wild card entry. He is a former dunk competition participant, plays with alot of flair and even if he doesn't make the shot he will look goofy trying it and I think that is a big part of the competition.

Honourable Mention: Gilbert Arenas. If Arenas was healthy he would have definitely been part of this competition.

Could other sports incorporate a game of horse into all-star weekend? Football could have the kickers go at it from different distances, angles, kicking backwards. Hockey could do trick shots without goalies. Baseball could do a throwing/hitting competition of some sort, but I don't think any of them work as well as basketball. Enjoy the show!

Go Fast!

Earlier this week, we talked about how to fill the void until baseball starts. Another option for sports fan is NASCAR. It has started to make inroads with casual sports fan and NASCAR, opens its season next weekend in Daytona. You may laugh at the redneck that fills the infield of tracks around the Southern US, but the crowd has been changing over the last couple of years. Bigger corporate sponsors, suits in luxury boxes and more Grey Goose than Miller Lite in cups. To ensure that sponsors keep what money they have left in NASCAR they have done what other respectable leagues have done - they instituted a drug testing policy.

This policy came into play because former Truck series driver Aaron Fike admitted to driving a race while on heroin, cause you know that is a smart thing to do. So to protect other drivers, they decided to test for narcotics, beta blockers and steroids. The first test results were released on Thursday, and it was a good thing Michael Phelps wasn't tested, but all the drivers passed this round with ease. Unfortunately, some crew members on some of the teams weren't so lucky. Two members of Kevin Harvick's crew tested positive, Kevin had this to say - from espn.com;

"I wasn't pleased with a couple of tests we got from our team at KHI,'' he said. "We had a couple of people that didn't do so good, but that's what it's for.''

Harvick said members of the team not on the KHI pit crew are given one chance after a failed test.

"The pit crew guys have known this stuff was coming,'' he said. "I don't have any tolerance for that stuff.''

Harvick says that he doesn't have any tolerance for drug usage, but is giving his crew members that failed a test one more chance. Good for Harvick for having his crew's back, like they have his during a race. Apparently changing tires while high is fine by him, don't forget to tighten that lug nut!

I have never understood why recreational drugs are banned by the IOC and other leagues. They don't help with performance, training, nutrition or anything that might even classify as being good for you. That is why they let Ross Rebagliati keep his snowboarding gold medal - smokin' the reefer didn't make him go down that hill faster.

Following the drug tests of the crew members after every race should be a fun sub-plot to the NASCAR season...vroom vroom.

Favourite Day of the Year

It must be tough to be a degenerate gambler when the NFL is over...


Odds for who will land the SI Swimsuit cover.

Bosh Still a Raptor in Two Years?

2010 couldn't come quick enough for the NBA. Perhaps the best group of free agents in the history of the game will be up for grabs. At least that is what the NBA wants its fans to thinks. Having a good crop of free agents gives fans in every city reason for hope or in some cases heartburn, indigestion and diarrhea.

The fans in New York couldn't be happier, they relieved themselves of Isiah Thomas, have dropped many of the contracts that were burdensome and have created enough cap space to sign any free agent in the summer of 2010. The object of their affection - LeBron James. If you are a fan in Miami, you might not be as happy. Although, you have cap space for 2010, your marquee free agent, DeWayne Wade may not want to stay and win you another championship. If you believe in conspiracy theories, Wade might actually join James in the big apple in a scheme they hatched while in Beijing during the Olympics.

The other big name free agent in the class of 2010 is Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh. Bosh has been the face of the Raptors since he joined as the 4th pick in the 2001 draft. He has carried the franchise to the post season, but hasn't been able to help the Raptors break through as an elite franchise in the Eastern conference. Should they let the big man walk or does Colangelo break the bank and sign Bosh to the max contract?

This has become an even bigger question in the last couple of days when ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith said that Bosh had talked to him and said that he told GM Bryan Colangelo that he wouldn't be re-signing in Toronto. Bosh and Colangelo both spoke to the media and said they have not had this conversation. Smith struck back, saying that he stands by his story and that the Raptors have a history of not being able to sign players that wanted to stay in Toronto like Damon Stoudemire, Marcus Camby and Vince Carter - he forgot to mention Tracy McGrady.

So what to do with Chris Bosh? Colangelo (if he is still around) needs to sign Bosh. He has developed into a dominant player. Athletic, a leader in the locker room and a scoring threat. The big issue with Bosh, besides his hair, is that he has immense difficulty creating his own shot and we still aren't sure what position to play him at. Is he a big forward or a small centre? On the Raptors he has to be the big forward that controls the game, scores baskets and the player that the offence goes through. On the all-star or Olympic teams, he can be the small centre who comes off the bench for Dwight Howard, but that is only once a year.

Besides signing Bosh in 2010, the Raptors need to use his "star power" to lure other potential free agents to Toronto. We can only dream of a pairing with Wade or LeBron in a Raptors uniform, but if that doesn't materialize a back-up point guard, starting centre or shooting guard to replace Anthony Parker when he leaves to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv would be nice. If Chris Bosh's plan really is to leave Toronto I just hope the next number 1 overall pick we get is closer to LeBron than Andrea.

Who Wants to be Number 1?

From now until April the sporting landscape becomes somewhat bare. We still have basketball and hockey, but it is only regular season games. For us reading in Toronto, both our teams are having less than spectacular seasons to put it nicely, so these regular season games mean less and less. Although you can get excited when pitchers and catchers report, watching split squad games isn't really how I want to spend Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Football takes a hiatus until the draft in April, unless you count the 9 versions of Don Banks's mock drafts. So what do us as sports fans have to look forward to? College Basketball!

This college basketball season isn't the best talent wise we have ever seen and that is partially due too many of the outstanding freshman and sophomores leaving early for the NBA. What this parity of talent has done however, is make the games more interesting and the challenge of staying near or at the top of the rankings something that should be appreciated.

Several teams this year have already tasted the number 1 ranking in the polls - Duke, UNC, Wake Forest, and Pittsburgh have now all spent time as the big dog, only to get knocked off after only a couple of games. Now UCONN gives it a shot. With the tough conference schedule don't expect them to stay there much longer.

Why is it so tough for these teams to consistently play well? We know it isn't school work getting in the way. One factor is players have realized they don't need to attend Duke, UNC or Michigan to get to the NBA. With the number of games on TV, and small schools making the NCAA tournament, all players no matter who they play for can get exposure. Scouts aren't ignoring them any longer. Whether it is Stephen Curry at Davidson or Patrick Mills at Saint Mary's these are names that are now known to fans and GMs. This is spreading the talent around, giving more teams the chance to win big games.

Another factor is the media coverage - who can concentrate on the game when Erin Andrews is sitting court side in a tight sweater! Beside the Erin Andrews distraction, there is more media coverage and pressure to perform. It used to be there were two games on TV Saturday afternoon, now with ESPNU, multiple "game of the week" broadcasts and blogs dedicated to each team and even some blogs written by players themselves, the coverage is daily and the pressure mounts on some of these young players.

These factors are going to contribute to a great March Madness tournament with many upsets, great finishes and maybe a number one seed will even win the tournament so I can win my bracket pool.

The Super Recap

A quick recap after a fun Super Bowl Sunday...maybe too fun for a couple of the guys that I watched the game with. SNOW DAY!

1. The pregame programs are way too long. I like football alot and I can't even watch from 10am to 6:30pm, all about two teams, the same five players and the same five story lines we have been hearing about for two weeks. Maybe I'll feel differently when the first week is all about the Pro Bowl next year.

2. The number of commentators on the panel of the NBC program show was ridiculous! Why do they really need 11 different talking heads, especially when one of them was Matt Millen.

3. Huge gut-check day by the Cardinals defence. They held the Steelers offense in the red zone to FG on two situations where they could have easily been broken and the game would have been over.

4. "Big Ben" is one strong dude. The Cardinals defence was draped all over him on several occasions, only able to force him to throw the ball away, instead of sacking him for big losses.

5. Larry Fitzgerald really is that good.

6. Someone is going to pay Santonio Holmes big money to be a number one wide receiver somewhere and he will be out of the league in 3 years.

7. Really thought the officials should have reviewed the "fumble" by Kurt Warner with 5 seconds left in the game. They took the time to review the same play in the first half and overturned the call. Had that play gone the other way, an incomplete pass, add the 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalty on the Steelers, the Cards would have had one hail mary from 34 yards out - that is something that Fitzgerald could have pulled down.

8. The commercials were lame. CTV obviously had big problems getting companies to purchase ad time. There were some breaks in action when the only commercials were promos for CTV shows. Why can't we just get the American feed.

9. Not really a huge Springsteen fan, but he put on a pretty memorable performance. He enjoyed himself, and seemed pretty amused with himself after running crotch first into the camera guy. There were alot of people on the field and just impressed with the NFL for moving everyone on and off the field.

10. The officials were too big a part of the game last night. Terry MacAuley and his crew made several mistakes and a couple other big misses. Two of the calls were overturned after Ken Wisenhunt challenges and then there was the last play of the game (see #7) they missed. The big misses included a huge block in the back during James Harrison's pick-6 at the end of the first half and some crazy holding, roughing the punter, roughing the holder calls that all kept Pittsburgh drives alive.